Global Campaign‘s speed was forecast to be dangerous in a pace-less renewal of the $480,000 Woodward H. (G1) on Saturday, and so it proved as the son of Curlin repelled odds-on Tacitus throughout the 1 1/4-mile trip and pulled away late to win the Saratoga fixture by 1 3/4 lengths under Luis Saez.
Not allowed by Tacitus to get too easy a lead, Global Campaign only had a half-length advantage over that rival for much of the run down the backside, with fractions of :24.65, :48.89, and 1:11.90 set. The two eventually separated themselves from the rest and were some six lengths ahead passing the quarter pole.
Tacitus made a final, serious bid in upper stretch in search of his first Grade 1 score, but it proved in vain as Global Campaign found more in the final three-sixteenths and earned his first top-level triumph instead. The final time over a fast track was 2:01.40.
Owned by Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm, and trained by Stan Hough, Global Campaign paid $7.80. Tacitus finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Prioritize, with Spinoff and Math Wizard completing the order of finish.
This was the second consecutive graded score for Global Campaign, who landed the 9-furlong Monmouth Cup (G3) on July 18 by 1 1/2 lengths over Math Wizard in his first race without blinkers. Last season, Global Campaign won the Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont in May before finishing third behind Tax and Tacitus in the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga. His career record now stands at 9-6-0-1, $781,080.
“I gained a lot of confidence in his last race when he took a couple challenges and drew off a bit,” Hough said. “I thought that was a good sign. His mile-and-an-eighth races were pretty good between the Peter Pan and the last race. One thing about this horse: if he’s ever got to lead at some point or another, he’s won the race. The only time he hasn’t won, he never got the lead.”
Bred by WinStar in Kentucky and a $250,000 Keeneland September yearling, Global Campaign is a Curlin half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Bolt d’Oro and the multiple stakes-winning Sonic Mule. All were produced by Globe Trot, a daughter of A.P. Indy.
